Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Spam ParmesanFor two servings: Lightly brown four slices of Spam on both sides in a little oil in an oven-proof skillet. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup each plain bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add 2 Tblsp melted butter and work into a crumbly paste. Put two thin slices of Roma tomatoes on each slice of Spam in the skillet, sprinkle a pinch or two of dried basil over the tomatoes and spread with the cheese-crumb mixture. Broil until cheese-crumb topping is golden brown. Serve hot with garlic mashed potatoes.

Spam AlfredoJulienne a 7 oz. can of turkey Spam. Brown the strips lightly in a skillet. Set aside. To make the sauce, melt ¼ cup butter in a saucepan. Stir in 3 Tblsp finely chopped onion, 4 cloves roasted garlic, and salt & pepper to taste. Cook and stir over medium heat until onion is soft and garlic is incorporated. Stir in ¼ cup flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly. Slowly whisk in 2 cups half & half (or milk) and cook and stir until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, stir in 1 cup Parmesan cheese and the Spam strips. (Add more milk, a little at a time if sauce seems too thick.) Heat through. Serve over spaghetti or noodles, with freshly made French bread.

Monday, July 14, 2008

This makes good stuffing for celery. It goes well with those Keebler Bistro corn bread crackers, too. Or any other cracker you like as well as the tiny, sliced rye bread. Add a slice of green or black olive for garnish.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Well, my friends, Nellie has been busy exploring the world of Spam. And I don’t mean the kind that clogs up your inbox, I mean the edible kind, made by Hormel Foods.

Every year in mid-July or so, the city of Fremont, Nebraska hosts a 3 day party known as “John C. Fremont Days” in honor of (who else?) John C. Fremont, the explorer, pioneer and early day settler for whom the community is named. One of the events of this celebration is the annual Spam Cookoff. Nellie has her heart set on participating in the cookoff and with that in mind has been exploring the weird and wonderful world of cooking with Spam. Did you know they make more than one kind now? The pork products include the original flavor, a bacon flavor, a Hickory smoke flavor, and a lite version of each one as well as a couple of turkey versions, all available in the regular 12 oz size can and a 7 oz can.

Anyway, due to a number of reasons, the details of which would bore you to tears, Nellie missed the deadline for recipe submission to the officials and judges and will not be in the Spam cookoff this year.

However, the research and development in preparation for this much anticipated and exalted event has yielded some interesting results which Nellie is now sharing with you. Good luck. And if you don’t care for Spam, ask for a suitable substitute in the comments and Nellie will gladly and graciously respond.

Personal Breakfast BowlLightly butter an oven proof cereal or salad bowl. Tear one slice bread into fine cubes and place in bowl. Over the bread cubes, sprinkle ½ Tblsp minced onion, ¼ cup of your favorite shredded cheese and ¼ cup finely diced Bacon flavored Spam. Tear another bread slice into fine cubes and top the Spam and onion layer. In a separate bowl, beat two medium eggs with 2 Tblsp milk and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the layers in the bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature and bake in a 350 F oven 30 minutes. Sprinkle on another layer of cheese and cook an additional 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.

Foxworthy Things That Describe Nelli

Recipe Index

Sunrise

Time for breakfast

Welcome! Come on in!

I saved you a table right here in the kitchen.

My name is Nelli and I’m a Redneck. I used to be in denial, but then I heard Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a Redneck if…” series and I can no longer deny it.So instead of being embarrassed about it, I decided it’d be okay if I’d just settle in and focus on one of the BEST things about being a Redneck: the FOOD!So for the benefit of the non-rednecks out there, who may have previously been denied access to fine Redneck cuisine, I decided I’d start posting some recipes and menu ideas here at Nelli’s Redneck Restaurant.

All my best recipes have their origin in the cookbooks I bought from my sisters-in-law, my friends, my church. I just tweak them a little to suit my own taste. Stop by often and get some ideas for rustling up the grub you’re going to put on your own table tonight.

By the way, we don’t count carbs or calories, so if you’re on restrictions, you’d best get a table someplace else.

One more thing you should know: Rednecks eat four times a day. Breakfast is in the morning. Dinner is at noon. Lunch is a snack in the mid afternoon and supper is at sundown. There’s no such thing as brunch. Brunch is for people who are too lazy to get up in time for breakfast.And coffee is served at every meal.